Dahlgren Hosts Lecture Series on National Security

The University of Mary Washington Dahlgren Campus Center for Education and Research is currently holding a five-part lecture series on national security.

The series began on March 7 when Associate Professor of political science Jason Davidson spoke. Davidson’s lecture was focused around his book, “America’s Allies and War.”

“We take these kinds of things very seriously and put a lot of time into preparing because we want the audience to get what they deserve,” Davidson said.

Having the opportunity to share personal expertise with an esteemed audience of military instillations and professionals and incite a valuable conversation was rewarding towards Davidson.

“When you have such an experienced audience to interact with, everything is open to a conversation… I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of questions I received. For me it was a wonderful experience,” Davidson said.

Mark Safferstone, executive director of the UMW Dahlgren Campus, echoed Davidson’s experience by recognizing the importance of the audience.

“The value of this lecture series is that it’s a tremendous opportunity for the university and its faculty to become quickly engaged with an audience that is unique and different than an all-student population,” Safferstone said.

Safferstone added that students should attend not only to understand the issues of allies and their threat to the U.S., but also to see a different side of their professors.

“What the students can find inspiring is to see that the professor whose classes they sit in week after week, semester after semester, are not only great teachers of undergraduates, but also these same professors express extreme knowledge that is respected by a sophisticated audience,” Safferstone said.

Jack Kramer, professor of political science, spoke on April 4 about “National Security Environment in the 21st Century.”

Before the lecture, Kramer was looking forward to speaking at Dahlgren, a place that uses this beneficial information on a daily basis to develop military and allied defense.

“The military is always forward thinking,” Kramer said. “[I want] to provoke thinking… give both sides of the argument and have students think in different ways.”

According to the UMW’s Dahlgren Website, future topics and presentations include “The Baltic States: Strategic Considerations and American Foreign Policy” with Jack Kramer, “Strategic Challenges in Northeast Asia: Implications for US National Security Policy” with Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus and “The Security Implications of the Arab Spring” with Associate Professor of Political Science Ranjit Singh.

According to Safferstone, Dahlgren is planning more lecture series for the future.

“This shows how the university continues to support the professional development of safety and security of the nation,” said Safferstone.

According to UMW’s Dahlgren website, the Joint Warfare Analysis Center (JWAC), the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Council and the UMW Political Science and International Affairs Department created this lecture series, which is free, open to the public and held in Dahlgren’s University Hall, Room 110, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on selected dates.